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What were they to do when they scrambled so brilliantly to close down some of the holes, only for the All Blacks to bring Rieko Ioane on to the ball at ferocious pace?

How could they have better defended Damian McKenzie attacking the line the way he did with such pace and intricacy to his angle that he was able to twice score directly off first phase possession without a hand being laid on him?

It was an impossible business for France, who no doubt had hoped that an All Blacks side with four new caps in it, would have been raw, nervous and vulnerable.

Maybe to start with that was the case, as France controlled the game for 40 minutes, even if they ended up behind on the scoreboard.

But the All Blacks' new caps didn't wilt or hide. Shannon Frizell looked a little overawed by the pace in the first half, but he hung in there and became more prominent as the game wore on.

He'll probably stay in the exciting project basket but maybe one to pursue with more vigour once he's got more Super Rugby experience.

Jack Goodhue playing for the All Blacks looked like Jack Goodhue playing for the Crusaders, which is exactly what everyone wanted to see.

Jackson Hemopo brought his physicality and hit hard while Richie Mo'unga dandered into the game with 10 minutes left and looked like he had been in control of it for the previous 70.

He's a young man with exactly the right temperament to thrive in test football and while it was only 10 minutes, it was a hugely encouraging 10 minutes and the All Blacks will feel that they not only won the final test of the series with a storming attacking onslaught, but they finished the series with a deeper pool of talent than when they started.

If there was a final positive for the All Blacks, it was their much improved defensive effort.

They sacrificed some of their linespeed for accuracy and discipline and it worked to some extent. They gave away no needless penalties and just one enforced in the first half.

They also made France work incredibly hard to score. Ideally, they would have made France work incredibly hard not to score, but progress isn't to be knocked.

The last two tests, and for most of 2017, the All Blacks gave away so many penalties it was all too easy for their opponents to pick up points. The All Blacks were the Briscoes of rugby – constantly offering those they played against a great deal.

The sale is over, the All Blacks are no longer the team against whom opponents should expect to be offered a bargain.